Tanishq Jewellery company in India is facing criticism for its new advertisement. The content of the advertisement has been hotly debated on social media, with religious hatred between Muslims and Hindus clearly visible. With the changing seasons in India, the festive season is starting, on the occasion of which a jewellery company called ‘Tanshiq’ recently released an advertisement to promote its new collection.
The advertisement features a “baby shower” for a Hindu daughter-in-law who marries a Muslim family, apparently conveying a message of unity between India’s two major religions.
The jewelery company is owned by the Tata Group. The company has dubbed its new jewelery the Hindi word ‘Ekatom’ meaning unity and its tagline is ‘The Beauty of One Nice’ meaning ‘Beauty of Unity. The ad features a baby shower in a Muslim family in which a Hindu daughter-in-law is adorned with new Tanishq ornaments and a poem can be heard in the background: ‘Relationships are something new, threads are raw. We will comfort them with our pins, we will fall in love, we will connect one end to the other, we will become a bond. ‘
The daughter-in-law then asks her apparently Muslim mother-in-law: ‘Mom! This ritual does not take place in your house, does it? ‘ In response, the mother-in-law says, “But the ritual of keeping the daughter happy is done in every house.” Then the poem is heard: ‘What will we do if we become one … Akatom Bai Tanshik. ‘
Tanishq Advertisement Controversy: गुजरात में तनिष्क स्टोर पर हमला, मैनेजर से लिखवाया ये माफीनाम
The ad did not go down well and has since been trending the hashtag ‘Boycott Tanishq’ on social media, with many saying it was an attempt to promote ‘Love Jihad’. Following the heated debate on social media, Tanqash has removed the ad, but the debate has intensified instead of diminishing. Former Aam Aadmi Party candidate Ashutosh tweeted that he was saddened by the whole affair.
He wrote: ‘How sick and toxic a part of society has become … There are sick people who have opposed this beautiful advertisement and Tanqash made a mistake by removing it.
A user named Rakhi Tripathi wrote: ‘Are the people who are boycotting Tanshik throwing away the jewelery they already have or are selling it at half price. Although I’m not interested in jewelry, there’s nothing wrong.
Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor wrote about the advertisement:
“If the Hindu-Muslim ekatom (unity) seems so bad to them, why don’t they eliminate India, the greatest symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity in the world.”
Deeply Saddened By Stirring Of Emotions”: Tanishq Responds
We are deeply saddened with the inadvertent stirring of emotions and withdraw this film keeping in mind the hurt sentiments and well being of our employees, partners and store staff,” the statement said. The idea behind the Ekatvam campaign is to celebrate the coming together of people from different walks of life, local communities and families during these challenging times and celebrate the beauty of oneness, it added in a statement.
ASCI junks complaint against Tanishq
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) rejected a complaint against the Tanishq advertisement for “promoting communal intermingling”, saying there is no violation of any code. The advertisement in question shows a Muslim woman with her Hindu daughter-in-law celebrating an event together.
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